Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2020

Recreating the Scene: An Investigation of Police Report Writing

Han Yu Kansas State University ; Natalie Monas Kansas State University

Abstract

Police officers do a significant amount of high-stake writing in police reports, but report writing is given little attention in policy academies, and prevailing guidelines treat the task as a mechanical process of recording facts. As a result, officers are ill-prepared for this essential and inherently complex task. In this study, we interviewed officers to study what makes for a good police report. Our findings reveal that police reports are goal-directed genre actions. This understanding peers through the positivist emphasis on factual details to emphasize the social function of police reports in the criminal justice system.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2020-01-01
DOI
10.1177/0047281618812441
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
genre theory professional writing
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Kunkuri et al. (2025)
    Move-Structure Analysis of Police Written Witness Statements in Ghana: An Accou…
    Written Communication
  2. Atherton (2022)
    Toward Data Justice: Understanding Police Shooting Data Systems and Narratives
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

References (28) · 5 in this index

  1. Bazerman C. (2003)
    Writing selves/writing societies: Research from activity perspectives
     ↗
  2. 10.1348/096317904774202153
     ↗
  3. Berkenkotter C. (1995)
    Genre knowledge in disciplinary communication: Cognition/culture/power
  4. Biggs M. (2011)
    Just the facts: Investigative report writing
  5. Carr A. F. (1980)
    Journal of Police Science and Administration
Show all 28 →
  1. 10.1350/ijps.2009.11.4.147
     ↗
  2. Dorfman D. N. (1999)
    American Journal of Criminal Law
  3. 10.2307/798843
     ↗
  4. Glaser B. G. (1967)
    The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research
  5. 10.1002/jip.139
     ↗
  6. 10.1177/1098611103261821
     ↗
  7. Kanable R. (September, 2005). Getting it write right: Convictions require good report writing. …
  8. 10.1002/acp.2350080103
     ↗
  9. Luzon (2005)
    Genre Analysis in Technical Communication
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  10. Merriam S. B. (2007)
    Qualitative research and case study applications in education
  11. 10.1080/00335638409383686
     ↗
  12. 10.1002/9780470713389.ch1
     ↗
  13. Morley P. (2008)
    Report writing for criminal justice professionals: Learn to write and interpret police reports
  14. Patton M. Q. (2002)
    Qualitative research & evaluation methods
  15. 10.1093/police/par049
     ↗
  16. Reynolds J. (2012)
    Criminal justice report writing
  17. RUSSELL (1997)
    Rethinking Genre in School and Society: An Activity Theory Analysis
    Written Communication
  18. Schnabl J. (2012)
    The Police Chief
  19. Schuster et al. (2013)
    “Standing in Terri Schiavo's Shoes”: The Role of Genre in End-of-Life Decision Making
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  20. SLACK et al. (1993)
    The Technical Communicator as Author: Meaning, Power, Authority
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  21. 10.1037/1076-8971.5.2.355
     ↗
  22. Wilson M. (2010)
    The American Criminal Law Review
  23. WINSOR (2000)
    Ordering Work: Blue-Collar Literacy and the Political Nature of Genre
    Written Communication
CrossRef global citation count: 17 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Mar 2026
    The National Security Strategy as an Object of Business Communication ↗
    Philip W. Hayek
    rhetorical criticism genre theory professional writing
  2. Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments Jan 2026
    A Murder Most Technical: Gamification, AI, and Rhetorical Genre Studies in the Technical Writing Classroom ↗
    Justin Cook
    genre theory writing pedagogy service learning teacher development argument collaborative writing technical communication professional writing
  3. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  4. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Sep 2025
    Corporate Disclosure During COVID-19: A Close Reading and Discourse Analysis ↗
    Tolulola Lawal
    rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis assessment professional writing
  5. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Sep 2025
    Tracing Disruptions: Activity Systems in a Digital Services Microfirm ↗
    Enzo Cabrera; Omar Sabaj; Germán Varas; Clay Spinuzzi
    rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis professional writing